NCL statement on passage of Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act – National Consumers League

December 2, 2010

Contact: (202) 835-3323, media@nclnet.org

Washington, DC—In a vote of 264-157, the U.S. House of Representatives today passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, legislation that reauthorizes the Child Nutrition Act and that will significantly improve the nutritional quality of food served in schools. The bill, which the Senate passed in August, will now be sent to President Obama to be signed into law.

This landmark legislation provides a six-cent per-meal increase for the school lunch program, the biggest funding increase the program has received in decades. Among other measures, it will make healthier choices more available – and unhealthy choices less available – throughout the school day, simplify the process for enabling low-income children to receive the free meals to which they are entitled, and provide technical assistance to school food service providers across the country.

“Ensuring that the meals and snacks our children consume during the school day are healthy ones is crucial in so many ways. For far too many children, the food served at school provides the only healthy meal or meals they eat all day. It is also important to send a consistent message to the children about why we all need to eat nutritious foods. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act will go a long way towards creating a healthy environment in all schools and will provide tools to combat the double-edged sword of hunger and obesity,” said Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director.

The National Consumers League joined more than 1,300 other health, education, and anti-hunger groups; First Lady Michelle Obama; and a number of major food companies in supporting passage of the bill.

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.